Remember Your Baptism
As a child and teenager, I understood baptism primarily in individual terms: it was representative of a person’s acceptance of Jesus’ salvation and the promise of heaven. While the childhood church I grew up in, didn’t view baptism as necessary for salvation (meaning if someone accepted Jesus into their heart and died before they could be baptized, they would still go to heaven), it was a rite of passage that all “born again” Christians were expected to receive.
Baptism, which in the Pentecostal church I attended, was by immersion was representative of one’s acceptance of Jesus and of God’s acceptance of us. It symbolized both our death and resurrection-the death of our old life before Christ, and our resurrection into a new life with Christ.
But as someone who is no longer Pentecostal or any shade of Evangelical/Conservative Christian and who rejects the notion of an eternal hell, what does baptism symbolize?
Additionally, while for some Christians across the theological spectrum, baptism is tied to a recitation of specific creeds, I am most definitely one who is much more creative and open in my interpretation of creeds and “orthodox” beliefs. So, for me, a recitation and list of specific beliefs that quite frankly took centuries to develop and are still contested today, doesn’t hold much appeal to me.
Instead, I view baptism as a physical representation of our acceptance of God’s promise to be one with us as we navigate life. By “our” I mean, baptism is both an individual acceptance of this promise and a community one. As an individual, baptism, symbolizes our saying “yes” to God.
Yes, we believe in a God whose love knows no bounds. Yes, we believe in a God who does not reside somewhere up there in the heavenly sphere, unmoved by our tears and sorrows but who instead decides to experience our sorrow with us.
As a community, baptism symbolizes a communal yes. That we as a community united in our love for Christ, are not only saying yes, we believe in God’s promise to be with us, but we also are committing to remind each other of this promise.
Life is difficult. And while there are moments of beauty and joy, the reality is that life, will most likely only get more difficult for the majority of us as we age and as our economic system shows signs of buckling under decades of exploitation and mismanagement.
Not to mention the reality of climate change, the rise of fascism, and the many individual tragedies that befall us for simply being human. All of these difficulties and struggles can cause us, as individuals to forget that God is with us. As a result, we need others to not only say, “hey remember, God is with you” but to demonstrate God’s presence by their actions.
During my darkest moments, abstract theology didn’t comfort me, but the theology put into practice by my friends, family, and even random strangers, is what helped me survive. Regardless of a ritual, I believe that as humans we should care for each other and advocate for a world where we are all able to thrive.
But for me, baptism, serves as a specifically potent reminder that we are to be the embodiment of God’s presence to those who are struggling. Baptism is a promise that we make to God, to ourselves, and to humanity at large, that we will live out God’s love, especially during the moments when God appears to be the most absent.
So although I no longer adhere to most of the theology that I espoused when I was baptized at 12 or 13 years old, I still look fondly on that day. I felt God’s presence as I was immersed in the waters. While the actual baptism was, at least for me, a one-time event, baptism as a theological concept is a daily action. I reaffirm daily my acceptance of God’s love and presence in my life. And I daily promise to do my best to help others who are struggling to remember that they are beloved and cherished.
Image: view beneath the pool’s surface. Text: Baptism is a promise that we make to God, to ourselves, and to humanity at large, that we will live out God’s love.